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Showing results 31-41 of 190 for 'Biology'

Making Spines from Sea Water

Following up on earlier research - and using technologies that did not exist then - Profs. Lia Addadi and Steve Weiner answered long-held questions: where do sea urchins get the calcium ions they need to build their spines? The answer: they ""drink"" sea water, even as larvae. And it turns out that other organisms use the same surprising process.

Triple Treatment Keeps Cancer from Coming Back

Lung cancer, the world's deadliest cancer, can be apparently successfully treated, only to return. And when it does so, it's often resistant to the drugs that worked the first time. Fortunately, Prof. Yosef Yarden has devised a novel three-pronged strategy that, in mice, kept lung cancer cells from developing resistance in the first place.

Disrupted Immunity in the Fetal Brain Linked to Neurodevelopmental Disorders

New research from the Institute demonstrates that, in mice, disrupted immunity in the fetal brain is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. The multi-department study revealed that when a pregnant female is attacked by external factors such as viruses, the brain of the fetus does not develop as it should, resulting in autistic and schizophrenic behavior.

Weizmann Institute Scientists Discover an Organizing Principle for the Sense of Smell

Wise Plant Analysis Identifies Healthy Metabolites

Two new databases - WeizMass and MatchWeiz - created in the lab of Prof. Asaph Aharoni help scientists identify the majority of metabolites in a plant, including fruits such as tomatoes. This helps provide targeted nutritional information and reveals that biologically active plant substances are much more prevalent across the plant kingdom than was previously thought.

“Coral on a Chip” Cracks Coral Mysteries

The world's corals are dying, with tremendous effects on climate and ocean health – however, much about coral, and why it dies, is still unknown. Now, Dr. Assaf Vardi and his team have created a new experimental platform – a ""coral on a chip"" – that lets them grow coral in the lab to study the structures' complicated lives at microscale resolution.

Gene Editing Takes on New Roles

Two new and powerful research methods – CRISPR gene editing and single-cell genomic profiling – have now been combined to produce a tool fine enough to enable scientists to observe life's most nuanced processes. Prof. Ido Amit and his lab have so refined CRISPR that scientists can understand biological processes in shades of grey – not just black and white.

Receptive to Stress

Prof. Alon Chen's lab discovered that a receptor, CRFR1, plays a surprising role in the body's stress response. In mice without CRFR1, females had trouble regulating temperature and blood sugar, while males were barely affected. The results could help develop treatments for regulating hunger or stress responses, including anxiety and depression.

Weizmann Institute Scientists Discover How to Manipulate the Brain to Control Maternal Behavior in Females and Reduce Aggression in Males

Why are there gender-specific roles in caring for offspring? Drs. Tali Kimchi and Ofer Yizhar have found a neurobiological answer, and – using state-of-the-art techniques – were able to control maternal behavior and male aggression in mice. Their work could also shed light on disorders like postpartum depression, aggression, and autism.